The present invention relates to a stay assembly and to a method of making a stay assembly for use in a sailboat. In particular the present invention relates to a stay unit which includes a metal stay rod having a collar on the rod which is to be connected with a terminal fitting at one end of the stay rod.
Sailboats utilize stay assemblies connected between the top of the mast and the hull of the boat respectively to support the mast. One type of assembly includes a stay rod which has collars thereon to connect the rod to fittings at each end of the rod which in turn are connected to the mast or hull. One of the problems in a stay assembly utilizing a stay rod is to provide a connection which is sufficiently strong between the stay rod, normally an aluminum rod, and the terminal fittings at each end of the rod. Conventionally, the terminal fittings have been formed of stainless steel and collars of stainless steel have been threaded onto the aluminum stay rod to form a connection to the terminal fittings. For a number of reasons this connection has not proved entirely satisfactory.
In addition each stay must be individually fitted to the boat on which it is to be installed. In conventional practice one or both of the collars for connecting the rod to the terminal fittings have been left disconnected from the stay rod when the stay assembly has been shipped from the factory to a dealer. The dealer or installer then has cut the stay rod to the exact length required and connected the remaining terminal fitting or fittings to the rod. Difficulties have been encountered in making threaded connections between the terminal fittings and the stay rod in the field.